Moto G tips and tricks to enhance your experience

With a pure Android 4.4, pin-sharp High Definition screen, and quad-core chip at a very low price, the Motorola Moto G is a game-changing phone. The phone is equipped with a 2070 mAh battery and the manufacturers promise all day battery backup. Heavy usage might drain out the battery very quickly but the Moto G tips and tricks which we are going to discuss would definitely enhance battery life.Not just battery backup, the Moto G tips and tricks we are going to discuss would enhance the user experience to a greater extent.Check out our handy Moto G tips and tricks and familiarize yourself with your favorite phone.

Let us proceed into Moto G tips and tricks:

1. Secure your smartphone

Anti-Theft made easy by your stock android feature: What if your phone is lost? Don’t worry we will help you with this issue and you need not make use of third party Anti-Theft applications which involves tedious process to setup and take much of your time to configure the settings. Instead you can locate your device using Motorola’s own “Device ID’ system and even Google’s own Android device manager. Your phone comes with Motorola device ID system, where you can register your device. By doing this you can locate your device, if you lose it. When you switch on your device for the first time, you will be asked to enter your Google account details to activate Motorola device ID.

What if you skip this step? If you skip this one, you can begin the process by heading over to Settings and selecting Motorola device ID there. You can also unlock the phone from this menu as well. The path is Settings > Motorola device ID.

Android Device Manager

You can use Android Device Manager too to track your device without any great difficulty.Before going further into details of Android device manager, we have a question for you. Do you know about Android device manager? If you do not know then check it here – (https://www.google.com/android/devicemanager). Login with your Google account to access the facilities such as remote locking etc,. By using the Android device manager you can find your phone’s location if it’s stolen or lost. You can even remotely erase data on your phone. You can even make a call to your device even if the device is in silent mode and also if the SIM card is replaced by a new one. You can even erase all the confidential data that is present in the phone and you can lock your device remotely. To enable this Android device manager in your phone, head over to Settings > Security > Device administrators.

2. Switch on developer mode in your Moto G

If you want to unleash the real power of your Moto G then have a look at developer mode settings and configuration. Google has hidden the developer options from Android 4.1 to prevent first time smartphone users to damage there device, but it’s very easy to switch it on. By tapping on build number for 7 times you can switch it on. For enabling this feature head over to Settings > About phone > Build number.

Settings

You will see a message that you have enabled Developer options on your phone after tapping on build number and on the settings menu you can see the developer options, allowing you to access a whole number of new features.Be careful while playing around with the enabled features.Stay away from them if you do not know much about them.If you have any queries about any features please comment them and we will help you out.

Developer options

3. Improve your phone’s performance with ART runtime

You can see in the developer options that Android uses Dalvik runtime by default. This runtime is described as “just in time” compiler, which means it does all the application processing when it’s required for the running process. Google is now looking to employ ART runtime in it’s latest Android version, which is a “ahead of time” compiler. Good news is that you have ART runtime option in your Moto G, which is featured in KitKat but it is not enabled by default in Android 4.4. To enable this you have to enter the Developers menu which is being described above. Now head over to settings, select Developer options, elect runtime option there and here you will get two options which are use ART and use Dalvik. Choose ART in it and your device will reboot after doing this. After selecting the new runtime, you will see a message that applications are being optimized for the new runtime. This whole process will take a few minutes to complete and once the whole process is completed you can notice a considerable performance boost on most devices.

Select runtime

We must warn you that very few applications may be incompatible with the new runtime which is because some few developers haven’t changed things accordingly. If you are having any problem with one of the installed applications you use heavily on daily basis, the only solution for you is to simply switching back to the Dalvik mode using the same procedure.

4. Take screenshot on your Moto G

Want to capture something important on your phone? It’s simple. To take a screenshot simply press the volume down and power button together. The resultant screenshot will be deposited in your phone’s gallery and if you want to access it, head over to file manager and select pictures in it. Find the screenshots folder in which you can find all your screenshots.

Read this article to know more about taking a screenshot, useful tips and benefits related to screenshots. How to take screenshots.

5. Enable lock screen widgets on your Moto G

Widgets are one of the outstanding features of the Android operating system and these are not present in some of its rival operating systems. However lockscreen widgets are one of Android’s latest innovation which are available in your smartphone. To enable widgets on lock screen in your device, head over to Settings, select Security and check enable widgets option. Path is Settings > Security > enable widgets.

Lock screen widgets

Once you follow the above procedure, you can enable widgets on your lock screen . On your lock screen simply swipe from left to right and tap the “plus” icon that is present. You can choose from the options like Google Now, Hangouts, etc., on the screen.

6. Transfer data from your old phone to Moto G with Motorola Migrate

Android service allows you to store all your data in the cloud, including emails, contacts, and app information. But there are still some elements in your old phone, which don’t get transferred properly. But don’t worry as Motorola Migrate app helps you in this issue for data transferring. All you need to do is to install this app from the Google Play Store and the whole process is so painless that you will keep admiring it.

7. If you want decent photos on your device – Use HDR mode

The Moto G’s camera is just okay, not that good and nothing much to say about it.If you want to have some decent photos on your smartphone, you can use the HDR mode on your device where HDR stands for High Dynamic Range. The only disadvantage of the HDR mode on your phone is that while shooting at night time you have to turn off this mode for flash and it’s pretty slow. You can switch to HDR mode on your device by swiping left to right on the edge of the screen in the camera application.

8. Control your phone with your voice

Google Now – Android’s answer to Siri, can be invoked or fired up with your simple voice command. It is possible to activate Google Now, simply by saying “OK Google.” When you are on the home screen or even in lock screen, simply say “OK Google” and you will be prompted to give your next command, which can be anything from asking Google to navigate to a place or to set an alarm or call someone etc..,

Google Now

The things you can do with Google Now are ask for time and date, know about weather, getting directions, get conversions, setting a reminder and notes, get flight information, know sports information, searching web, call and messaging someone, setting an alarm, play music, try these Easter Eggs( Do a barrel roll, what’s the loneliest number, make me a sandwich, who are you, tilt, what does the fox say, what is your favorite color ), and the newest feature is that you can control your phone from lock screen. Just be wary of your friends shouting the same phrase when you are trying these commands on your Moto G.

Google Now settings

9. Get the stock Google UI on your Moto G

Do you love uncluttered stock experience and do not have a nexus device with you? Don’t worry, you can get the stock Google User Interface experience on your device by installing KK launcher from the Google Play store. There are lot more options which can give you this standard stock experience on your device. As your device runs on Android KitKat there is an alternate for you. Download the APK file of the Google Experience interface and install it on your Moto G, so that you can get the Nexus phone experience. Make sure that you have switched on “allowing third-party apps option” in the settings menu as standard Android OS blocks third-party apps to provide security and prevent malware on your device.

10.Switch launchers on your Moto G

The biggest advantage of Android is the kind of customization it offers and this let it to gain an upper hand over its rival Operating Systems. The ability to change launcher on your device stands out when compared to other operating systems. By changing launchers on your smartphone you can change the look and feel of your smartphone. Switching between launchers is a bit difficult in the previous versions of Android.But in the latest versions of Android, Google has added a quick and easy toggle in the settings menu. There are a lot of launchers you could try out on your device in the Google Play Store, which are Next, Nova, Apex etc..,

Launcher

When you install a new launcher on your device you can switch between the launchers by heading over to settings, select home and there you can select the launcher.

11. Get instant help from Moto Care if you have trouble with your device

The Motorola Moto G comes with Moto Care which helps you instantly if you face any sort of problems with your device. It has got interactive tips, tutorials, and gives suggestions based on usage of the device. You can also get help from customer care by tapping the call or chat options and you can start an instant phone conversation or online chat to get the help you need. You can also access options such as FAQs, how-to’s, and Moto care tips. If you are new to Android phone, this one will help you to get accustomed to your smartphone.

12. Update all your Softwares for better performance and security

It is needless to say that each firmware update brings features and fixes that improves the performance of the device. Each and every update helps in better management of power resources on your device. Most of the Motorola’s Moto G mobiles have been running on Android KitKat 4.4.2 and Motorola has rolled out Android KitKat 4.4.4 for most of countries around the globe. If you haven’t updated it on your device, head over to settings > About Telephone > System Updates and check over there for an update. You will get a message that your device has an update, download it and install it. Once the installation process begins, your device will be shutdown and the process continues and you will get a message that apps are being processed. Once the whole process is completed you will see that your device is updated to KitKat 4.4.4 after reboot.

13. Selective Mobile Network

If you are not using the mobile data on your device, why do you let it consume the precious battery? You can change your device settings so that you can use only 2G networks for messages and calls. If you want to browse or surf then switch to 3G network. You can save a lot of battery by changing these settings. You can toggle between 2G network and 3G network by heading over to, Settings > More > Mobile Networks > Network Mode.

14. Gain an easy speed boost on your Moto G by disabling animations

The animations that occur as you move between applications and screens look pretty for you, but they bring down your device performance and can slow down your smartphone.In most of the cases they essentially force you to wait for a period of time.Even though it is small it is considerable sometimes.

Window animation scale

You should be thankful to Google because, it’s possible to disable them completely and also reduce the time they run for. Both of these options will make your handset respond faster than before. To enable this option go to settings, select Developer options there and scroll down to select the animation scale (Transition, Animator, and Window) and toggle all to “Animation off”. By doing this your User Interface on the device might not be pretty but by doing this, your smartphone would definitely become faster when compared to its performance before.

15. Get detailed information about your Moto G

You can get the detailed stats and information related to your Moto G such as usage statistics, battery information, phone information, and WiFi information by simply dialing *#*#4636#*#*. This one is handy to get the details about your Moto G in quick time.

Testing

16. Android animation on your device

Do you want to get the Android animation on your Moto G? Head over to settings, select About phone and tap on the Android version for 3 three times quickly, then you can see the Android version your are using on your Moto G. You can access it by heading over to Settings > About phone > Android version.

Android animation

17. See your notifications even after clearing them on your Moto G

Do you clear all the notifications without seeing them on your device? Are you busy all the day and have no time to see them on your Moto G? Google has provided a solution for all such folks who have cleared their notifications accidentally or intentionally. Follow these simple steps and you can simply get back all your notifications organized according to date on your Moto G. Go to widgets from your home screen, grab “settings shortcut” over there and move it on to your home screen and select notifications over there on your device. There you can see all the notifications you have cleared. The path for this is Widgets > Settings shortcut > Notifications.

18. Usage of various options to determine your location will also effect your device’s performance

In the previous versions of Android, determining your location was solely based on usage of GPS and it didn’t use other options. Even though it gives precise location it consumes fair amount of battery life and leave you with empty battery. Android’s latest version KitKat now comes with three modes for location determination. The three modes are Battery saving, Device only, and High accuracy.

Location mode

High accuracy uses GPS, Wi-Fi and mobile networks to determine your location. Battery saving uses Wi-Fi and mobile networks to determine location. Device only uses GPS to determine location from your Moto G. The Battery saving method is precise and it doesn’t consume much battery on your Moto G. To enable this go to Settings > Location > Mode. Select the Battery saving mode so that you can get better battery backup on your Moto G.

19. Immersive mode on your Moto G

The “immersive” mode is one of the newest features of Android KitKat which gives you an unimpeded view on your current application by removing all of the on-screen interface on your device. Apps that support immersive mode will automatically remove UI elements on your device screen. If you want options, just swipe down from the display so that you can see the UI elements. MX player, Asphalt 8, Play Books are some of the applications where you can enjoy this mode.

20. Alternate SMS client on your Moto G

In Android’s latest version KitKat, Hangouts replaces the default SMS client on your device, and it does it’s job perfectly by integrating instant messages and text chats. It also offers video chats and is integrated to Google accounts and many other things.

Default SMS app

To make Hangouts as default SMS app on your device, go to Settings and then select more and select from default SMS app. The path is Settings > More > Default SMS app.

21. Print wirelessly from your Moto G

We mostly rely on paperless documents in our day-to-day life, but sometimes we need a hard copy where digitally signed PDF isn’t enough for the need.In the latest versions of Android which is KitKat, Google provided us wireless printing with HP’s Cloud Printing application. But the backdrop of this thing is that only certain applications support the feature at present. But this feature is a wonderful feature as we can print documents directly from our Moto G.

22. Monitor your data usage with your Moto G

Our smartphones consume lot of data as they are loaded with many apps which update regularly. Most of the carriers enforce data limits and charge heavily once the data limit is crossed leaving you with a very less balance. With Android’s built-in data usage monitor, you can see exactly how much data you use on your device. You could even disable data use by setting limits and also set warnings for data usage. When the limit is reached you will get warning and mobile data will be disabled when it crosses the limit you set on your device. You can see your data usage by selecting cycles and can also reset your data counter to zero.

23. Dismiss an alarm before it plays around with your peace

If your alarm sounds when you’re in traffic or during a meeting, think how awkward it would be. In the Android’s latest version KitKat, you can dismiss an alarm before it bothers you. You will get a pop-up notification an hour before the alarm is due to fire in the notification bar. It allows you to dismiss it before it fires.

24.Know Process Stats on your Moto G

In the latest version of Android KitKat, in the Developer options Google has provided Process Stats section. It contains all kinds of information about the apps that are running on you smartphone. It is ideal and geeky.It is for those people who want to fine tune their device’s performance. To know these details, head over to Settings, select Developer Options and select Process Stats in there. The path is Settings > Developer Options > Process Stats.

Process stats

25. Power saving mode on your device

Power saving mode is one of the features which helps you a lot to get better battery backup. By switching on the Power saving mode in your device, you can increase your device’s battery life. This mode will automatically restrict background data until you’re charging your smartphone again. Also some apps and services won’t work unless you are connected to a network. You can enable it by heading over to Settings and selecting Battery saving over there.

Battery saving

26. Encrypt data on your Moto G

This powerful option will let you encrypt your downloaded apps, accounts, settings, and their data, media and other files. Once you encrypt your Moto G, you need to type a numeric PIN or password to decrypt it each time you power on your device. Remember that forgetting the PIN will cost you, you cannot decrypt your device except by performing a factory data reset which erases all your data, which is a painful one.This process of encryption of your phone takes an hour or more.So you must keep your device plugged in until encryption is complete or else there is a chance of losing your valuable data. To encrypt your Moto G – follow this path: Settings > Security > Encrypt .

Data Encryption

27. Reboot your Moto G in safe mode

As you could reboot your computer, you can also reboot your Moto G in safe mode. Once you switch on your smartphone in safe mode, all the third party applications will be disabled on your device. In the latest Android versions, Google has provided this useful feature. If something goes wrong on your phone ,you can try this mode. By enabling this mode you can troubleshoot your Moto G. By following these instructions you can switch your phone to safe mode.

Reboot to safe mode

* Long press the power button on your Moto G

* Long press the power off option on the screen and you get the option as “Reboot to safe mode”.

Hi,
Iam trying to run my android application created in eclipse on motog.that application is related to camera.When i run the app, it is stopping with an error like “Unfortunately project stopped working”. Other applications are running. Are there any other settings to be enabled to run such applications in android??

Hi Spandana, have you set android:debuggable=”true” in your application in the AndroidManifest file? Try using the LogCat to discover the correct error.For sure it is a coding error and not related to your device settings. Also check if USB debugging is enabled on your device.

Spandana

Hi Prasanth..

Thanku for ur response.
There is no problem with code.The app is perfectly running on other android mobiles like samsung duos and others. But the same app is not running on my motog phone.It is showing an error message which I’ve mentioned in my problem.

Hi Spandana,
Please check the logcat to see which activity and which function is failing. And there could be many reasons on why the app is crashing. Hope this helps.

Francesco

Hi, i recently rooted my device, it is an T1033 version, i want to ask if somebody knows the reason why my moto g doesn’t convert runtime in Art… i give the command, it restarts and then nothing else, still in Dalvick… Any ideas…? tried Before and after a factory reset.

If you encrypt your phone,you need to enter your password/pin each time you turn on your device.So it will not prompt you again to enter password when you try to switch on safe mode.

Navya

In my moto g2 optimizes every time I reboot it. Note that it happens after I chef runtime to art

Hyperion

I have the same issue. It is not written here that every time we boot the phone will have to optimize some of the application, therefore a considerable amount of time and battery consumption is needed….

Beth Jett

The power button on my moto g is broke is there a app I can download for power on. Once battery dies its hard to power on- help pls

In the Phone application, tap on Call Settings.Now tap on Call Rejection and add the exact phone number in the Auto Reject List.

Nagarao

For that you have to use third party application like true caller as moto g runs on stock android. Hope this helps and let me know if you are still facing the issue

krazycalvin

If you use google voice you can set up a contact for it. I have a contact named ZBlocked (so it is at the end of my contacts list) and with it I have set it with the google voice option to give a generic phone is out of service message. I have over 30 numbers in that block list for telemarketers

Bren W

Hi krazycalvin,
I use google voice and just got a Moto G, can you tell me exactly how to set this up as you did?

krazycalvin

Sorry, Just noticed this. You download the google hangouts dialer app. Once you have that installed you open the google hangouts app. In the settings there is an option to recieve calls through the hangouts. You use the hangouts dialer to make calls. https://support.google.com/hangouts/answer/6079064?hl=en

krazycalvin

Go to the missed calls (or received calls) section of google voice and find the phone number you want to block. Click add and name the contact Zblocked. Then click the more option and select block caller. In the future you would just have to add the number to the contact.

Sathish

Hi am using moto g in this I cannot use default tones.. And the default tones are hidden after update of android version 4.4.2 to 4.4.4… Can you help??

Nagarao

I’m able to use default tones even after upgraded to 4.4.4 in the Settings > Sound > Phone ringtone. Hope this helps. If you are facing problems still, please let us know.

moksha mathpal

Hi
How do i hide a preinstalled app withiut rooting? Or change its name or icon or anything. Pleaae help?

Paul Eckard

Very cool. Thank you.

Balamurugan P

Item 3 and 5 option are not getting in moto g3 5.1 version. In developer option, what is the use OEM unlocking and what it will do if i enable

Moto Service

Hi

Thanks for sharing this article with us. Nice Post.

If you are handling Any app might be causing power problems on your phone, Power button strip might be faulty, Phone components might be water damaged. This is reason for getting power button problem.

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